Loose material dispensing apparatus



Feb. 20, 1940. Km o 2,191,241

LOOSE MATERIAL DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 25, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 In ventor Jase/77225272 twz, $97 I y A itornegs Feb. 20, 1940. TALKlNGTON 2,191,241

LOOSE MATERIAL DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 25, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ventor 1940. J. M. TALKINGTON 2,191,241

LOOSE MATERIAL DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 25, 1958 s Sheets-Sheet :5

Inventor A iiorneys J. M. TALKINGTON 2,191,241

LOOSE MATERIAL DISPENSING AFPARATUS 1 Feb. 20, 1940.

Filed Aug. 25, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 1 In venior Jesse/Yfdfiz'zzgzom A tiorneqs Feb. 20, 1940; J. M. 'TALKINGTONI 2,191,241

LOOSE MATERIAL DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 25, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 b 7 t w i 79 I I l /5 I I Y 76 ,1 FER H 56. Inventor .jsseflfaZfz'izyzoiz A itorneys iii Patented Feb. 20, 1940 PATENT OFFlCE LOQSE MATERIAL DISPENSING APPARATUS Jesse Talking ton, Dover, Ark.

Application August 25,

1 1 Claims.

The present invention relates to apparatus for dispensing loose material, such as used in grocery stores and the like, and has for its primary object to provide a plurality of dispensing hoppers rotatably mounted above a platform upon which weighing scalesmay be positioned for weighing the material as the same is discharged from the hopper into a suitable receptacle, together with means for replenishing the supply of material to the hoppers from asupply bin. and including an elevator for raising the material from the bin to the upper part of the hopper and also providing motor driven means for the elevator as well as for the. group of hoppers to move the same into the desired dispensing position.

The invention further embodies the provision of control means between the motor and the elevator as well as independent control means between the motor and the rotatable hoppers.

A still further object is to provide an apparatus of this character of simple and practical construction, which is efflcient and reliable in performance, relatively inexpensive to manufacture "and maintain in operation and otherwise well adapted for theupurposes for which the same is intended. 1

Other objects and advantages reside in the1details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference be- 1 ingfhad to the accompanying drawings forming part. hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which Figure 1 is a top plan view.

Figure 2 is a verticalsectional view taken sulr" stantially on a line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan View of the rotatab cylinder containing the hoppers.

Figure 4 .is a fragmentary vertical sectional View through the elevator taken substantially on line l4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view through theelevator taken substantially on a line 5--5 of Figure 2. l 1

Figure 6 is a fragmentary detail in elevation of the upper end of the elevator showing the pivoted chute. 1 1

Figure 17 is a sectional view taken substantially on a line 'i--l of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional View taken Figure 11 is afragmentary frontelevational view of one of the hoppers.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary horizontal. sectional 1 View of the rotatable cylinder for the hoppers, and lE-igure l3 is 1a perspective view of one of the pivoted discharge gates for the hoppers.

was, Serial No. 226,805

Referring now to the drawingsin detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral fixdesignates a supporting frame having a ssciseted based from which inclined brace mem- 1;

hers I extend for attaching the upright members B of the frame, the base 16 providing a housfor a ball bearingassembly ll and upon which is rotatab-ly supported the lower end of a vertical shaft ill, the upper end of the shaft having a disk H secured thereto and provided with a beveled edge l2 as ings. 1

Secured to the shaft ill is a cylinder designated clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawl generally by the number It, the central portion of the cylinder having a sleeve i extending vertically therethrough and through which the shaft it is inserted, and the cylinder is further provided with a plurality of radially extending partitions Iii defining a plurality of hoppers it within the cylinder. Each of the hoppers is provided with anepening 1': in the top thereof over which positioned a hinged cover it and the bottom of each hopper is provided with a discharge neck 59 depending therefrom, the bottom portion of.

each neck having a discharge'opening 26 con trolled by a pivoted closure 121 having a manipulating handle 22.

Supported on the frame 5 beneath the hoppers is a platform 23 upon which may be positioned a weighing scale (not shown) for weighing the material as the same is discharged from the hop- 1 pers. A ballbearing assembly 24 is also provided for the upper portion of the shaft ll].

Positioned adjacent the frame 5 and cylinder i3 is an elevator mechanism which includes a housing designated generally at 25 and embodying a base portion 26 havinga plurality of ver- I tical partitions 2i therein forming bins 28. Rising from the base 28 is an elevator shaft 29 likewise having a pluralty of vertical partitions fill therein and within each of which is arranged an elevator designated generally at 3| and embodying abelt trained over upper and lower pulleys the drawings. The bottom 38 of the bin is in-' clined and extends into the bottom of the elevator shaft where the same is curved as shown at 13 9 in concentric relation with respect to the axis of :the lower pulley 3A in order that the buckets will have a substantially close fit with the curved bottom to more effectively pick up 33 and .3 1 respectively, and to which belt is. se-

of the elevator shafts is provided with a discharge opening 42 by means of which the material from the buckets may bev discharged into the chute 4i]. i

The chute 46 is releasably held in a downwardly inclined position as shown inFigures 2 and 6, and may be raised by means of a rod 43 pivoted intermediate its ends as at 44 to the side of the elevator shaft 29, one end of the rod being bent angularly as shown at 45 and inserted in a socket it formed at one side of the chute. The opposite end of the rod constitutes a manipulating handle as shown at 41.

The upper portion of the elevator shaft 29 is also provided with an opening 48 having a door 49 slidably positioned therein to afford access to the interior of the elevator shaft forinspection or'repair purposes.

The upper shaft 50 for the pulleys 33 projects outwardly of the elevator shaft and is pro vided with a pulley 51 over which is trained a belt 52 driven from a pulley 53 idly mounted on a shaft 54 journaled in a platform 55 above the cylinder I3, as clearly shown in Figure 1 of the drawings.

Formed on the pulley 53 is a clutch member 56 engageab-le bya companion clutch member 51 rotatable with and siidably mounted on the shaft 54. The clutch member 51 is formed with,

a clutch collar with which a yoke 59 is engaged and formed on one end of a control lever 66 slidably mounted in a bracket 5! secured to the platform 55.

Also keyed on the shaft 54- is a pulley 62 driven by a belt 63 from a pulley 64 on one end of an electric motor 65.

To the shaft 54 is also keyed a drive pulley 65 having a belt t7 trained thereon for driving a pulley 68 keyed on a shaft 69. The shaft 69 is journaled in a U-shaped bracket H and is provided at one end with a friction cone 12 engageable with the beveled edge [2 of the disk H.

Secured to and rising from the platform 55 is an inverted U-shaped bracket '13 through which the bracket H is inserted and within 'which is positioned an expansible coiled spring 14 bearing against the bracket H and the top of the bracket "E3 to yieldably urge the first named bracket downwardly, whereby to maintain the cone 1'2 in engagement with the disk II.

A manipulating handle 15 is pivoted adjacent one end, as at it, to one of the legs of the bracket H, the handle, adjacent its pivoted end being formed with a cam edge ll adapted to bear against the platform 55 to raise the bracket H against the tension of the spring M whereby to disengage the cone [2 from the disk H. In this manner it will be apparent that the cylinder I 3 may be rotatably operated by the motor 65 when desired, or may be disengaged therefrom through the manipulation of the handle 15.

Each of the hoppers I6 is provided with a window opening H3 adjacent its lower portion and adjacent the upper portion of each hopper or label 80. r

parent that the cylinder may be rotated to bring the desired hopper either into position for con- In the operation of the device it will be ap-v for discharging the same intothe desired hopper.

It'is believed the details of construction, ad-v vantages and manner of operation of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing without further detailed explanation. Having thus described the invention, what I claim is-'- I L'In combination, a frame, a vertical shaft journalled in, the frame, a plurality of hoppers mounted for rotation on the shaft, an elevator for raising material to a point above the hoppers and common operating means for the elevator and for th'e hoppers for moving the latter into a position to receive the material from the elevator and means for independently controlling the operation of the elevator and said rotary element.

2. In combination, a frame, a vertical shaft journalled in the frame, a plurality of hoppers mounted forrotation on the shaft, an elevator for raising material to a point above the. hoppers, power drive means for the elevator and the cylinder for moving the hoppers into a position for receiving the material from the elevator, clutch control means between the elevator and the drive means, a-friction drive connection between the drive means and the cylinder and means for disengaging said friction drive connection. I I

8. In combination, a vertical shaft having a cylinder secured thereto, said cylinder embody.- ing a plurality of hoppers, a friction driven disk secured to the shaft, a power driven shaft having ing a plurality of hoppers, a friction driven disk secured to the shaft, a power driven shaft having a friction drive cone secured thereto, a movable bracket for said driven shaft, spring means yieldably maintaining the bracket in a position for engaging the cone with the disk and a cam device for moving the bracket to disengage the cone from the disk. I

5. In combination, a frame, a vertical shaft journalled in the frame, a plurality of hoppers mounted for rotation'on the shaft, an elevator for raising material to a point above the hoppers, a platform above the cylinder for supporting a motor, a horizontal shaft supported on the platform and operatively connected to the motor, a drive connection between the horizontal shaft and the elevator, clutch control means for said drive connection, a second horizontal shaft supported on the platform and operatively connected with the first horizontal shaft, a drive connection between the second horizontal shaft and the vertical shaft for moving the hoppers into a positionfor receiving material from the named drive connection.

JESSE M. TALKING'ION. 

